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The Mark of Cain
With
their name, characteristic close-cropped hair and powerful songs The Mark
Of Cain has carved a special path in punk oriented rock, be it a long and
convoluted path.
The Mark
Of Cain was formed in Adelaide mid-84,
after guitarist John Scott's earlier band Spiral Collapse split up. There
were several reasons for that group's demise. Mainly, John was in his last
year at Uni and couldn't give the band all his time; things weren't working
out with the group's lead singer; and John was after a new, harder sound.
For the new group he enlisted younger brother Kim. John had been in and out
of bands for five years, while encouraging Kim to take up bass. The time
had come for the brothers to play together. John met the new group's singer
Rod Archer at a party Spiral Collapse had played at. Spiral Collapse's
drummer Gavin Atchison stayed behind the kit.
The
inspiration for the new group would come from bands like Joy Division, the
Stooges and Big Black. The band name came from the Herman Hess book 'Demian' John was reading at the time, about a loner who
thought his dark feelings were there for anyone to see as he walked down
the street - the Mark Of Cain. Biblically, Cain committed the first murder.
The new group quickly ran into personality problems. John Scott and Gavin
Atchison were seasoned musicians. Kim Scott and Rod Archer were novices. It
frustrated Atchison to the point of his deciding to leave. He was also more
interested in pursuing the brand of hard rock of rising band Metallica,
rather than the intense goth-rock John favoured.
The replacement drummer didn't work out and while looking for someone else,
for a few months The Mark Of Cain rehearsed and wrote songs with a drum
machine John Scott bought for $160. Then the band fell out with singer Rod
Archer. He didn't like being told what to do, and wasn't quite right for
the music the band was playing - but the last straw had nothing to do with
the music. John Scott was sharing a house with Archer and his girlfriend.
When the girlfriend's dog was run over by a car, John put it out of its
misery with a car jack. Disgusted, Rod Archer left the band and John Scott
found somewhere else to live. He also took over as TMOC's singer. There was
far more happening on stage than off. Until the end of 1986 they picked up
gigs wherever they could, earning just enough
money to hire the PA.
A couple
of false starts in the recording studio, and a demo tape which was ignored
by almost everybody finally found a momentary sympathetic ear at Sydney's
Phantom Records, Australia's pioneering independent record label, set up by
former Radio Birdman manager Jules Normington.
The first The Mark Of Cain single coupled 'Can You See Now?' (about a wrecked relationship and the emptiness that
ensues) and 'Lords Of Summer' (about the split second before a person dies
in a car crash during which they suddenly see all the failures and
successes of their life). They also gained great confidence supporting Big
Black's Australian shows in Adelaide. But for every couple of steps forward
there was a step back. Phantom had heard something different in the group
than what they wanted to deliver, and their progress was periodically
interrupted as they kept changing drummers. At the end of 1988 they added
their fifth, Campbell Robinson.
Despite
everything, in February they recorded their first album, 'Battlesick' for an independent label back home in
Adelaide. The artwork featured a black and white photograph of what looked
like a Vietnam War soldier leaning over his machine gun, head in hands. A
large Christian cross is hanging from his neck. Songs from that album
remain part of TMOC's repertoire. The second album, 'The Unclaimed Prize',
again recorded for Dominator, was released on the strength of a growing
reputation interstate, especially Melbourne. By the time the album was
released the band was indefinitely on hold. John Scott had travelled
overseas on an 18-month work-rated project. Kim Scott followed in 1991.
Both have Bachelor degrees, John Electronic, and Kim Mechanical
Engineering.
In
Chicago in 1992 the Scotts
put The Mark Of Cain back together to take advantage of being able to work
with Big Black's Steve Albani as producer. (Albani would later produce Nirvana). TMOC's Albani sessions were released as the EP 'Incoming'. In
mid-'92 TMOC reformed back in Australia for live performances, with yet
another drummer - Aaron Hewson. One of the bands
they supported in the subsequent period was the Rollins Band and then, now a fan, in early 1995 Henry Rollins offered to finance and
produce a third album. He also made arrangements to release the
band's back catalogue worldwide on his own label. In Australia the 'Ill At
ease' album was released on Ra Records, with mainstream record company
distribution. The group's fourth album 'Rock And Roll' offered other
people's remixes of band favourites. The soldier was back on the cover. No
cross. Ready for action.
In February
1997 TMOC's version of X's 'Degenerate Boy' from the 'Idiot Box' soundtrack
was released as a single. The next single appeared four years later.
'Retaliate' was inspired by infamous psychopath Howard Unruh, a
distinguished war veteran who shot thirteen of his neighbours in as many
minutes in 1949 because he thought they were picking on him. Seventeen
years after naming his group The Mark Of Cain John Scott was still
preoccupied with the psychology of the loner. 'Retaliate' was the first
taste of a long-awaited new album, 2001’s 'This Is This..." Oh yes,
they had a new drummer - John Stainer, formerly
of Helmet.
The Scotts met up again with Stainer
when the drummer’s latest band Battles was in Australia for the Big Day Out
in early 2008 and re-entered the studio. Over the next two years the
reformed band were writing new songs and recording “finding time around day
jobs, day-to-day life and refining across continent”. It took longer than
they expected but a fifth album “Songs of the Third and Fifth” is set for
release in early 2012.
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